A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
Scraps wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 7:51 am
I'm back home after two weeks at scuba instructor school.
This puzzle initially challenged my underwater navigation skills, but I made it ashore using only about a half tank of air.
No morning cocktail for me today--I'm going spear fishing today, so the alcohol must wait until later.
And I thought my life, spending all day in my apartment working for hours on end on my computer until darkness has descended and my fiancée and I, exhausted, log off, and scrape together a 10pm salad to eat before crashing, was an exciting life.
On shore. I did not see the shortcut and got stuck at a certain point. Then the meta-neurons in my brain decided to activate and show me how to find the answer.
Dave C wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 11:30 pm
Ashore and would love to have the Founders KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge, since I live in Michigan, but I'm in Texas for the winter and can't find it here...
I have to pick something up at the Menard's on Eureka Road in a bit...I'll run across the street to the Meijer and see if they have any...
As far as meta mechanisms go, this was one of the tightest and best executed ones I've ever seen. I can see where someone might be able to brute force it to pull out an answer, but I think the overall elegance of the solution gets lost that way. This one is as clean as they come.
I also enjoyed Mike's shout out to his alma mater at 1A!
BarbaraK wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:28 pm
I believe that some people who found the path to shore rough and inelegant may have taken a shortcut. Landed in the right place, but missed some of the sights along the way.
I am thinking of changing my avatar image to Rosie Ruiz (of 1980 Boston Marathon infamy)...
I sure did skip ahead and I was so excited to have a shot at being first to post that I didn't notice... the something people have been referring to.
I very much appreciate the (non-spoilery) comments here and via PM - it encouraged me to go back find the missing steps which vastly improve the elegance and brilliance of this meta! And while I'm relieved to find that the "cheater" answer I submitted is correct, I'm a tad sorry that it enabled me to not "stop and smell the Rosies".
Last edited by KayW on Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
And I'm finally ashore. Was halfway there, and banging my head in frustration, and finally reached out for a slight nudge. Thanks BarbaraK for the subtlest of hints that allowed me to get the "Aha" moment. Very clever meta, and I'm kicking myself for not seeing it right away, given where I was.
TMart wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:54 am
As far as meta mechanisms go, this was one of the tightest and best executed ones I've ever seen. I can see where someone might be able to brute force it to pull out an answer, but I think the overall elegance of the solution gets lost that way. This one is as clean as they come.
I also enjoyed Mike's shout out to his alma mater at 1A!
So did I! As a Penn Stater in the mid- to late '70s, I fondly remember Mike's puzzles in The Daily Collegian. Should have known then that he was on his way to turning his gifts into a career. Unfortunately for me, merely singing his praises isn't enough to solve this musical meta. But the weekend is young!
On shore after confirmation that my answer was correct even though I skipped over a final step (that I will continue to see if I can figure out!) Thanks to boharr for your help!
sharkicicles wrote: ↑Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:15 am
I'm starting to think I "cheated" as well, or I'm just wrong... but if I'm wrong it's a hell of a coincidence!
I'm sure you did what I did and got the right answer, but when you see the actual solution you'll see you missed a step that makes the puzzle a little more elegant.
BarbaraK wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:28 pm
I believe that some people who found the path to shore rough and inelegant may have taken a shortcut. Landed in the right place, but missed some of the sights along the way.
I am thinking of changing my avatar image to Rosie Ruiz (of 1980 Boston Marathon infamy)...
RosieRuiz.jpg
I sure did skip ahead and I was so excited to have a shot at being first to post that I didn't notice... the something people have been referring to.
I very much appreciate the (non-spoilery) comments here and via PM - it encouraged me to go back find the missing steps which vastly improve the elegance and brilliance of this meta! And while I'm relieved to find that the "cheater" answer I submitted is correct, I'm a tad sorry that it enabled me to not "stop and smell the Rosies".
Ah, Rosie Ruiz... The joke was at the time that she got an endorsement deal with L'Eggs for a style of stockings that were guaranteed not to run.
I WOuld love to say that this tired old bODy has pulled herself to shore, but alas, I am paddling THRough murky waters. I'll just keep pUSHing my way through--I hope! I've got a 4 hour drive later today--so I may not get much reading done if I haven't solved this.
It is probably my favorite birdsong. Although bobolink is a close second, but they are not very melodic--in fact, I have heard that they were the inspiration for R2D2.
